Another round of footy that left me, and footy pundits all round, scratching their heads trying to understand how the brains of the officials in the bunker work.
Typically, the criticism of the inconsistency of the bunker is judged over a period of weeks. This is usually when tackle A receives a different outcome than tackle B, with both tackles appearing identical in nature.
This time we saw this level of inconsistency over the period of three days.
The chaos started on Thursday’s night clash between the Tigers and the Cowboys, where Justin Olam was sent from the field for a high shot on backrower Helium Luki.
This was in the second half, where Tigers had all the momentum which was put to a halt by the intervention of the bunker.
Initially, the tackle was missed by the on field official. Helium Luki was rather unphased too and got up to play the ball. Yet, the bunker, on their continued power trip, sent word to the official that Olam needed to go.
Personally, I didn’t have much of an issue with the call. Looking at the replay, there did appear to be moderate force in the tackle. We have also seen similar incidents this year result in players leaving the field for the rest of the game. I can, however, understand why people believed this should have been 10 in the bin only.
My gripe?
The calls that succeeded this one over the course of the weekend.
In Friday nights nailbiter between the Dolphins and the Roosters, we saw Joey Manu sent to the bin for “medium” level contact. Firstly, what the fuck does this even mean? And looking at the replay, there was absolutely nothing in it – Joey wrapped his arms, and basically slow danced the player to the ground.
But what happens? The bunker intervenes, gets on his mic, and sends word to the official that Joey has to spend 10 minutes on the sideline.
Fast forward to Saturday nights game. We seen big Nelson put a high shot on Francis Molo that left Molo on the ground needing treatment.
The result?
Just a penalty, with NAS put on report!
In the space of three days, we’ve seen almost three identical incidents resulting in three different outcomes. This level of inconsistency is why NRL fans continue to be outraged. You’ll hear pundits in the pub shout “what the fuck goes through these guys heads”, with the older veterans stating why they simply can’t watch this game anymore.
And look. I can cop bad calls here and there. Whilst we have humans officiating the game, there is always going to be room for human error.
My issue is the levels of inconsistency in the decisions made. We are now heading into round 23, and it still appears that the bunker just makes up the rules as they go along. And there is never any accountability.
On Monday, referee boss Graham Annesley held his weekly briefing to touch on the contentious moments over the course of the weekend. You can view the full report below.
https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/08/05/graham-annesley-weekly-football-briefing—round-22-2024
And what were his thoughts on these incidents?
He didn’t even discuss them!
This was CLEARLY the talking point over the weekends round of footy, and the referee boss had nothing to say. It’s this type of nonsense and lack of accountability that pisses me, and pundits alike, off.
We criticise every other aspect in the game. Whether it be a players performance, or the tactics deployed by a coach, and yet the officials of the game continue to skate beneath the radar and make calls that ruin our game.
Only time will tell to see what improvements are made in this area.
Don’t get your hopes up though. It’s round 23 and we’re still having these discussions. I just hope it doesn’t ruin finals footy.
